Parking:Parking arrangement and costs are the responsibility of conference attendees. The conference will be held near the **Cain Garage (CAIN), central to campus. Please take a parking ticket as you enter the garage gates from Gene Stallings Blvd. and pay on foot at the pay station prior to returning to your car. Parking is also available in the nearby University Center Garage (UCG). For more information about parking fees and maps, please visit http://transport.tamu.edu/Parking/realtime.aspx.

Meals: Coffee, juice, light breakfast and lunch will be provided each day of the conference. Starbucks is located in the MSC at the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Texas A&M University.

Conference Content

Gender Dysphoria: Beyond the DSM Diagnosis

This 6-hour presentation will provide education around gender identity, trans/gender non-conforming/non-binary identities, and the transition process, including social, medical, and legal aspects. It will raise awareness on cis privilege and how it may play out in our professional and personal lives.

Presenter: Aydin Olson-Kennedy, LCSW – Los Angeles Gender Center

Gender-Affirming Counseling and Ethical Implications

This 6-hour presentation will outline the tenets of the Gender Affirmative Model and describe treatment strategies and interventions to provide affirmative and effective treatment. Additionally, it will conceptualize mental health disparities in trans communities using the Gender Minority Stress Model in order to develop empathy for the range of ways that marginalization of transgender people impacts them socially, physically, and psychologically. Lastly, APA, ACA, and/or WPATH guidelines will be used to identify and address ethical implications in working with trans clients.

Presenter: Colt Keo-Meier, Ph.D. – University of Houston; Baylor College of Medicine

About the Presenters

Aydin Olson-Kennedy, LCSW

Aydin Olson-Kennedy, LCSW, is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Gender Center, where he provides psychotherapy for gender non-conforming and transgender youth, adults, and their families.

As a transgender man and mental health provider, Mr. Olson-Kennedy brings a dual perspective into his work. He has spoken internationally on the importance of an informed-consent model of care, identifying and acknowledging domains of privilege, and broadening clinicians’ and families’ understanding of gender dysphoria and its impact on the psychosocial well-being of gender-nonconforming and transgender individuals.

He provides education on gender and sexuality as a lecturer in the Psychology Department of the University of Houston and an assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Services at Baylor College of Medicine. In his part-time private practice, Dr. Keo-Meier provides therapy, consultation, and evaluation services to transgender clients as young as 4. He directs the Transgender Health research lab at the University of Houston, which focuses on examining the effects of testosterone on the mental health and quality of life of transgender men as well as the experiences of parents of transgender children. He is a member of the hormone therapy committee for the WPATH Standards of Care version 8. Dr. Keo-Meier is completing his MD at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

Conference Location and Accommodations:

Conference Location: The conference will be held at TAMU Memorial Student Center, Room 2406, College Station, Texas, 77843.

Lodging: Participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. The conference committee recommends the following hotels:

CEU Accreditation Statement:

Contact your licensing board to determine acceptability of continuing education credits. Texas A&M University has approved this educational activity for a maximum of twelve (12) credits, including three hours of ethics for LPCs, Social Workers, and Psychologists in Texas.

Accessibility:

If you are an individual with disabilities who needs accommodations for the conference, please contact us at accommodations@scs.tamu.edu or 979.845.4427 within a reasonable and sufficient time so that accommodations may be arranged. The Student Counseling Service will make every effort to accommodate your needs.